Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights

This report is based on the outcome of an International Election Standards Programme that ODIHR launched in 1998 in order to outline best practices in resolving election disputes. This programme was conducted only in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan, but it resulted in the design of a standard monitoring methodology that can be used in any country regardless of its political or legal system. While this methodology was developed from the standardized format of electiono bservation missions mandated by ODIHR, it is equally suited to missions organized by other international bodies.